Saturday, January 4, 2014

Pairings for wishes, not fishes

I confess that I altered the supermarket's display to take this picture. But it's their fault for offering cutesy-pie bottles of wine.

Some of my wishes for 2014 are modest. Others are extravagant. The extravagant wishes are a precious few. The remaining wishes are modest, and the modest ones are mine to realize. By this I mean that I can make them come true with some effort and a little commitment.

For instance, I began the year at a hefty 209 pounds. My wish is to whittle myself down to 185 pounds. It's doable, but requires both a short term change in lifestyle, and a long term change in lifestyle. Now that I've gone public with this wish, we'll see how I do with it.

Another modest wish is to live simply, and happily. I think that happiness is 80% state of mind, and 20% circumstance, with state of mind having pride of place. Time passes so swiftly, it's easy to let routine blend the days into a stream of trivial, if painless, sameness. My life would be better if I made the time really count.

I guess the big challenge is taking off the excess weight and keeping it off. There is no doubt that the biggest contribution to my well-being begins and ends there.

So here we go, another year begins. My very best wishes to all of you for a healthy, happy and fulfilling year.

Dave, I had fruit cake on my Christmas list, and I got two very nice specimens. Neither of them have been opened. Thankfully fruitcake lasts forever, and I will not indulge in them until I reach my target weight, and then only savour them slowly over a long period.

A noble goal. Let's hope all of you meet your weight loss goals. It is doable.

I agree with your assessment of happiness. We make our own sunshine. I choose to be happy. Sure things happen that could get my down but I choose to be happy anyway. I like to say I am always in a good mood, and even when I am in a bad mood, I am in a good mood.

Not many years ago I was up in your 209 lb range. I felt uncomfortable and it really bothered me. We stuck to a plan and I have maintained around the mid 185 range for a few years now. I would also like to shed a few more . . .

When I read your percentages I was reminded of the petition, "Spare us needless suffering." It is part of a ritual I do twice a day. It has acted as a reminder of two things which seem true to me: Much of what I suffer is in my head and some suffering is needful.

I wish you well on your goal to be more at home in your body. May you find a way of eating and moving which promotes your health and well being. And while I'm sure it won't be painless, may you not experience any needless suffering.~k

The copyright in all text and photographs, except as noted, belongs to David Masse.

About Life on two wheels

Welcome

I am David Masse, and this is Life on two wheels.

Life on two wheels began as a way to explore my decision to commute to my job in downtown Montreal from my home in the suburbs on a Vespa motor scooter, and the byline for my journal was the Scoot Commute. Today I live in Toronto, I've expanded the scope of topics I cover here, and I've added a YouTube channel as well.

Over time my life on two wheels became much more than a scooter commuting story. My Vespa and my web and video journals became a gateway to wonderful new experiences, remarkable adventures, and enduring friendships.

The links at the top of the page make it easier for you access the information in this journal in a more useful way, organized by topic, as well as a link to the YouTube video journals.

If I've helped you, and if I've entertained you along the way, then I've done what I set out to do. Please feel free to post comments, I love to hear from readers and viewers, so don't be shy. I even do requests, and will do my best to dig up information to help readers out.

I've also hosted guest posts, most recently an excellent post by Jim Mandle that came out of an e-mail exchange.

It's all good fun, a multifaceted web and YouTube journal where I publish articles with useful insights for enjoying life, embracing the present, stepping out, living, seeing, writing, being, and the occasional rant.

Most recently I learned that Life on two wheels made it well into the top 100 motorcycle blogs in the world.